How dare she call me a kid! I’m seventeen after all, so I’m practically an adult. I suppose Declan’s not really a kid either, being fifteen, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it turned out that he had the mental age of a three year old squirrel.
I slumped onto the sofa, a seat away from my Mum as I tried to ignore the voice. It was still whispering seductively at me; just one look, and I could feel the back of my head start to throb with an incoming headache. I wasn’t going to let it win though. There was no way that I was ever going to lay eyes on those earrings ever again.
I shifted in my seat as I turned my attention to the TV screen. An orange woman smiled back at me, her teeth impossibly white. I ground my own teeth together. How could my Mum watch this without going brain dead? I can almost feel my brain cells committing suicide at being exposed to this mindless drivel.
I looked over at Declan. He was, as would be expected from my greedy brother, digging through the refrigerator. His shirt was hanging out of the bottom of his navy school jumper and his black hair stuck out at all angles. Seriously? Has that kid never heard of a hairbrush? I was about to throw a snide comment at Declan, when a familiar voice sent a sharp shiver down my spine. My eyes were automatically pulled back to the TV where my suspicions were confirmed. The smile that had once brought butterflies to my stomach now made my throat constrict. I took a jagged breath to try to calm myself, but I could already feel my heart pounding against my ribs. Mum turned to look at me, her dark eyebrows raised. Then everything started to spin.
“Yes, Jane. That’s right, the film comes out October third.”
That voice. Make it stop!
“It’s nice to see you Chace, and good luck with the film.”
Leave me alone!
“Thanks Jane. It was nice meeting you.”
That voice. Make it go away. Make it go away!
“So there we have it folks. Chace Milligan. Isn’t he just lovely?”
Chace. The mere name winded me.
My mind buzzed to and fro. One minute I could see the peeling wallpaper above the front door and the next, nothing. I was surrounded by darkness. I could hear a scream. It tore at my ear drums. Who was screaming?
The blood rushing in my ears sounded like waves crashing against the shore. I could see the wallpaper again and I could hear panting. Or was that breathing? And the screaming…
“Don’t worry Mum. I always told you she was a head case.”
“Shut up, Declan! Sadie, listen to me!”
It was my breathing. The panting was me. And the screaming?
“Sadie.”
I felt a hand on my arm and the touch burned like an electric shock. And then as quickly as my panic had started, it was over. I blinked repeatedly, trying to get my eyes to focus on the face in front of me. My throat felt sore.
“Sadie?”
I wrenched my arm free, embarrassed by my actions. Mum’s face softened. Her blue eyes were wide and her lips were parted.
“Sadie? What happened? You were screaming. Sadie?” She was knelt down in front of me, her usually pretty face warped by fear.
I could feel my breathing returning to normal, but my throat still burned. I’d been screaming? I felt suddenly flustered and confused.
“I told you Mum. She’s just a nut job,” Declan said from beside my Mum. I looked up at him and I could feel my cheeks getting hot. He had a satisfied smirk on his lips.
“Nothing happened,” I said, inching away from my Mum. “I’m totally fine.”
“But you went ever so pale,” she said, a frown creasing her forehead.
“I said I’m fine,” I reassured her, scooting aside so that I could get off of the sofa. The sudden movement of standing up made my stomach flip. I tried to shake the feeling as I made my way over to my work bag. I turned it upside down when I reached it, seizing my mobile as it fell out of my bag and onto the carpet. I then grabbed my hoody from the coat hook beside the front door.
“Where are you going?” Mum asked, but I ignored her, pulling the hoody over my head. “Sadie?” She’d followed me over to the door and was now standing with her hands on either side of her petite waist.
“She’s off to the mental asylum,” Declan snickered from where he was standing beside my Mum.
With my jumper on and my mobile in my pocket, I made for the door. I have to get out of here. I slipped on my trainers as Declan mumbled more insults under his breath. What was going on? One minute I’d been fine and then…The voice. His voice. I felt my knees buckle and I leaned against the wall to steady myself.
“Sadie! Don’t you dare go out.” Mum’s voice was stern.
I pulled the flaking red door open, before disappearing out of it, ignoring my mum’s words of protest. Shutting the door behind me, I picked up my skateboard from its spot beside the drainpipe. I didn’t intend on going far. Just far enough away to make a phone call in peace. I slammed my skateboard onto the concrete path before quickly jumping onto it and thrusting myself off down the road. The cool night air whipped my hair against my face, but I wasn’t bothered. Something about gliding down the road on my board made me feel free. My pulse felt steady again and I blinked repeatedly in an attempt to bury the voice in the back of my mind.
I dodged two dustbins and a cat, before deciding that I was far enough away from the house. I stopped under a streetlamp. Standing in its orange glow, I felt safer. The Westside was renowned for trouble and I didn’t want to get caught up in it. I scrolled down my contact list on my mobile, until I got to ‘G,’ for Gabby. I took a deep breath. Who would have thought that it would have come to this? I pressed the green ‘call’ button as I swept my red hair back out of my eyes. I wasn’t looking forward to this. Gabby was a pain to deal with when she was right, and annoyingly, that always seemed to be the case. It only took three rings until I heard her voice.
“Hey Sadie. Finally come to your senses?” She was mocking me.
I held in a shaky laugh. “That’s what you want, isn’t it.”
“You know it makes sense.”
She was right. Unfortunately.
“Fine,” I sighed. “Maybe it’s time we did this your way.”
Thanks for reading!
I get this from my sisters all too often.
Overall Prose: Your prose seems to improve as you go along. You write a story that requires emotion, and are at your best when emotion is at its peak. I think on the whole this is great. You might want to take a look at trying to grip us even when emotion is not running on full steam.
